In traditional descriptions,
Meditation is often compared to training a horse.
The sensations,
Impulses,
And reactions in our bodies are like the untamed instincts of an animal,
And when we take our seat in practice,
We learn how to ride this energy with skill.
Today's invitation is to observe your thoughts and view them as horses.
Resist the urge to ride along with them or to run away from them.
Simply sit back and observe,
Non-judgmentally and with loving awareness.
Please find a comfortable upright seated position that represents your basic human dignity.
Sit bones rooted deep into the floor,
Spine long,
And your chin is tucked in just a little bit to lengthen the back of your neck.
You gently close your eyes and begin to tune in with your breath.
Let's take a couple of conscious deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Meet me at the bottom of your next exhale.
And in breathing through your nose,
2,
3,
4,
5,
Pause.
Long and loud exhale through your mouth.
Again,
Breathe in,
2,
3,
4,
5,
And breathe out.
One more.
Inhale,
2,
3,
4,
5,
Pause.
And exhale,
Releasing all of the air out.
Gently close your lips and continue to breathe through your nose.
We will begin with a traditional full yogic breath or dirgha pranayama.
This is a three-part breath.
First you inhale to your belly,
All the way down to your pelvis.
Then you continue to inhale to your chest and all the way up to your collarbones.
Then you exhale from your collarbones,
Lungs,
And belly respectively.
Inhale,
Belly,
Lungs,
Collarbones.
Exhale,
Collarbones,
Lungs,
And belly.
Inhale,
Belly,
Lungs,
Collarbones.
Exhale,
Collarbones,
Lungs,
And belly.
Continue to breathe just like that,
Taking your inhales and releasing your exhales both through your nose.
If you find it challenging to breathe all the way down to the belly,
You can place your right hand on your belly and your left hand on your chest so that you first inhale to your bottom hand,
Your right hand,
Then to your upper hand,
And you exhale from your upper hand and then the bottom hand.
Try this breathing pattern while allowing your breath to follow its natural rhythm and this will be your practice for the next couple of moments.
Perhaps you notice some thoughts as they try to creep in.
I want you to know that that is perfectly normal.
Whenever you become aware of thinking,
Simply remind yourself,
Thinking,
In a kind voice and then let that thought go.
Instead of hopping on the horse and letting it carry you around,
Observe the horse and let it go.
Continue to anchor your awareness on your breath and observe any passing thoughts,
Just for a few more moments.
Now release your focus.
Allow your mind to be completely free and if it wants to think,
Let it think.
If there is a horse you want to ride,
Ride that horse and see where it carries you.
What happens when you allow your mind to have a complete freedom?
Perhaps you notice that when you allow yourself to have that full freedom and when you can think of anything you want to think about,
Suddenly there is nothing to think about.
So this just reminds us that the element of ease and non-grasping is so essential for our meditation practice.
Allow there to be ease and for a couple of moments,
With a lot of freedom,
Let your horses run.
If there are any and you just sit back.
And perhaps the horizon of your mind is clear and there is nothing but spaciousness.
Slowly begin to return your awareness back to your body.
Make your next inhale deeper than the one before.
And sigh out through your mouth.
Again take a deep breath in,
This time lift your shoulders up to your ears.
Sigh out and drop your shoulders.
Again,
Inhale shoulders up.
Sigh out,
Drop them.
Five more times,
Inhale up.
And release.
Four,
Up.
Let go.
Three.
Two.
Last one,
Breathe in.
And let go.
I thank you for practicing with me.
If you noticed,
You can practice with me.
Thank you for practicing with me.
If you noticed during the day that you are being carried away from the present moment by your thoughts,
Gently remind yourself to get off that horse and to return back to presence.
Have a beautiful day.
